Art of refining oils



Patented May 8, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

CARY R. WAGNER, OF EL DORADO, ARKANSAS.

ART OF REFINING- OILS.

No Drawing. Original application filed July 17, 1922, Serial No.575,610. Divided and this application filed May 31, 1924.

This invention relates to the separation of petrolatum or so-calledamorphous wax from steam-reduced crude oils, cylinder stocks or similarvehicles containing petrolatum. Such steam-refined crude oils orcylinder stocks are prepared by the fire and steam distillation of crudeoils, for example to a 15 to 25% bottom and, when prepared fromMid-Continent crude, ordinarily have a gravity of about 20 to 22 Baumand a flash point of about 515 to 530 F. It will be readily apparentthat the specific gravity and flash points of the stocks are notmaterial to the practice of the present invention.

I have found that an eiiective separation of the petrolatum from suchstocks may be eflected by diluting the stock with 'a suitable proportionof an oil solvent or solvent mixture in which petrolatum is materiallyless soluble than in naphtha, chilling the mix-- ture to a suitabletemperature and separating the wax by settling or by difierence inspecific gravity. For example, I may admix with a suitable steam-refinedoil or cylinder stock from 25 to 75% of the solvent and chill theresulting mixture by suitable refri crating means to a temperaturesuitable or the production of an oil having the cold test desired forthe end product of the Serial No; 717,091.

jected to distillation, prefera ly with steam,

for removal of the solvent present, which may be recovered and reused.

For example, I may employ mixtures of normal or secondary butyl alcoholand naphtha or of 'methylethylketone and naphtha. 75% of naphtha has asolubility for petrolatum of less than 75% of that of naphtha. A mixtureof 50% butanol and 50% naphtha has-a solubility for petrolatum ofapproximately 30% of that of naphtha.

The present application is divided from my application Serial No.575,610, filed July 22, 1922.

I claim: 1 A

The method of separating petrolatum from steam-refined stocks whichcomprises diluting the stock with a mixture of a butyl alcohol andnaphtha, the proportion of butyl alcohol in which is greater than 25%,and

chilling the diluted stock, and separating the petrolatum by difierencein specific gravity.

' CARY R. WAGNER.

A mixture of 25% of butanol and i

